I Dreamed a Dream

Personally, I have never heard this song before. From the time Susan Boyle surprised the entire British Got Talent audience that day to when she shot up to fame, I have never heard this song before. Well one of the reasons would be that I have not really heard of Les Miserables. The most I’ve come across it was in “Totally Spies” where in an episode in the first season, Sam and Clover were fighting over the role of Cosette for their school play.

I am not very well literate in big Broadway productions and in musicals in general. The only reason I was so adamant on watching Les Miserables the movie was because of Anne Hathaway….and also Kristie said it was really good.

So according to Kristie, I take it as she has heard this song prior watching the movie, “in that scene you really understand what it means ‘I Dreamed a Dream’”.

And I couldn’t agree more.

*Warning: spoilers ahead. Proceed with discretion*

This song is about Fantine, a character in the story who was impregnated by some rich brat who left her to raise a daughter (Cosette) alone. She left her daughter in the care of two worthless innkeepers while she went to work in a factory and sent all her earnings to them to support Cosette.

However, she got fired. (I still don’t get why she got fired but nevermind..moving on…) In desperation to cloth and feed her daughter, she cut her hair and sold them. When she ran out of options, she became a prostitute, one who is both ill and unstable.

In the movie, the song starts slightly after her first “customer” was done with her. Sitting alone in a cold and dark room she began to reminisce about the time where men were kind and gentle and slowly moved to the time when it all went wrong. Fantine had a dream of how her life would turn out to be, instead of the one she was currently in.

In her grief and desperation, it’s difficult to miss the meaning of the song. Anne Hathaway did a brilliant job in portraying Fantine and also she nailed that song. Fantine was merely, just a simple person, a mother who wishes the best for her child and works hard in order to do so. She would’ve turned out fine if there weren’t the wrong people around her at the wrong time. She wouldn’t have suffered the way she did for her daughter. She wouldn’t have died believing her daughter was with her when Cosette was really away in an inn being bossed around by two thieving innkeepers. She would’ve lived and kept her pride.

This song seems to be my life's theme song at the moment haha! except for the part where..you know..the guy slept with her and left her...haha!